1. Field of the Technology
The present technology relates to a toner cartridge which is used in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic system, and to an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus which is mounted in a printer, a copy machine, or the like forms an image using a toner which is stored in a developing device in the image forming apparatus. In the field of an image forming apparatus, a toner cartridge which supplies a toner to a developing device has been hitherto known. When the toner in the developing device is consumed, the toner cartridge supplies a toner in the toner cartridge into the developing device.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 2009-210737 discloses a toner cartridge including a toner storage container which has a toner storage section (toner stirring section) configured to store a toner to be replenished into a developing device and a toner discharge section provided adjacent to the toner storage section with a toner discharge port formed therein, a toner stirring member disposed in the toner storage section, the toner stirring member including toner stirring plates configured to stir toner stored in the toner storage section and a pair of stirring blades (toner scooping blades) configured to be flexible and to scoop a toner in the toner storage section to convey a toner to the toner discharge section, and a toner discharge member provided in the toner discharge section the toner discharge member conveying a toner conveyed to the toner discharge section by the toner stirring member toward the toner discharge port.
In the toner cartridge disclosed in JP-A 2009-210737, a pair of stirring blades are provided at an interval of 180 degrees in a circumferential direction of a rotating shaft so as to extend outward in a radial direction at the tip portions of the respective plate-shaped toner stirring plates protruding from the rotating shaft outward in the radial direction of the rotating shaft, and the respective stirring blades are designed such that their lengths in the radial direction of the rotating shaft are a length enough to come into contact with the inner surface of the toner storage section. Thereby, since a toner stuck to the inner surface of the toner storage section can be scraped off by the pair of stirring blades along with the rotation of the rotating shaft, it is possible to reduce a toner remaining on the inner wall of the toner storage section as much as possible without conveying a toner to the toner discharge section.
The toner cartridge disclosed in JP-A 2009-210737 has a configuration in which a toner storage space in the toner storage section and a toner storage space in the toner discharge section are partitioned by a partition wall provided vertically upright and arranged in a horizontal direction. In this toner cartridge, the toner stored in the toner storage section and the toner stored in the toner discharge section are present separately without affecting each other. Accordingly, even if the toner stirring member provided in the toner stirring section rotates around the axial line, the rotation operation of the toner stirring member has no influence on the toner stored in the toner discharge section or the rotation operation of the toner discharge member provided in the toner discharge section.
In this way, contrary to the toner cartridge in which the toner storage space in the toner storage section and the toner storage space in the toner discharge section are provided adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction, in a toner cartridge in which the toner discharge section is provided adjacent to and vertically below the toner storage section, and the respective toner storage spaces vertically communicate with each other, if the toner stirring member disclosed in JP-A 2009-210737 is provided in the toner storage section, when the amount of the toner stored in the toner cartridge is large, the toner stirring member is rotated around the axial line, each stirring blade revolves inside the toner storage section in a curved state so as to extend toward an upstream side in the rotational direction of the toner stirring member outward in the radial direction of the rotating shaft, whereby a force for compressing a toner is applied to the toner stored in the toner discharge section.
Thereby, the toner stored in the toner discharge section is in a consolidation state by application of the weight of the toner stored in the toner storage section, and there is concern that the toner discharge member is locked and not rotatable. The consolidation state causes a decrease in fluidity of toner, and there is concern that toner conveyed to the toner discharge port is not discharged smoothly from the toner discharge port.